Scotland enters tourney at the top of its game

March 13, 2008|By Dave Vilhauer, dvilhauer@aberdeennews.com

If there is a wild card in this year's State B basketball field, it could very well be disguised in orange and black. On paper, the Scotland Highlanders are a sixth-seeded team with a 17-6 overall record. They struggled through two district games, winning one in overtime. On the court, Scotland features a potent big man (Skyler Bloch), made eight of 11 three-pointers in the region to knock off powerhouse Mitchell Christian, and played as solid of a schedule as any team in the tournament field (the Highlanders are the only Class B team in their conference). “In the district, we were a little bit out of sync,” said Scotland coach Tom Schlimgen. “We played our last five games of the regular season without our big kid. It looked like we played a little anxious, but in the region, we played a very good game.” The Highlanders played in the state tourney in 2004 and 2006 and Schlimgen said the 2005 and 2007 squads might have been even better, but just fell short. “We've had a nice six-year run,” Schlimgen said. Scotland is led by the 6-foot-6 Bloch who averages 19 points and 11 rebounds per game. Bloch is a load for opponents to handle inside. “He's our go-to guy,” Schlimgen said. “Our 6-6 is pretty handy.” Additional inside help comes in the form of 6-2 senior Mark Sayler, who averages eight points and provides a physical presence. “He has a lot of athletic ability,” Schlimgen said. “He's physical, he's got great jumping ability and he's got great speed.” The offense is handled by three-year starting point guard Trevor Witt who averages 11 points and leads the team with four assists per game. Other starters are Carl Evenson, who averages 13 points from his shooting guard spot and Dillon Fischer (5 points) who is a defensive stopper. Key reserves are Jordan Pravecek (7 points), Chandler Edwards and Seth Jerke. Look for the Highlanders to run when the opportunity presents itself, but to be content to play half-court basketball to utilize their strengths. “We can go inside and outside,” Schlimgen said. “We think we're solid on the defensive end.” Scotland meets third-seeded White River (20-3) in the final opening round game at 8:45 tonight at Wachs Arena. The two faced each other on a neutral court earlier this season in a game that White River won 63-56. “Their whole game is about denial, up-tempo, full-court, get a lot of possessions,” Schlimgen said. “They're pretty hard to control the way they play.” Schlimgen said the key to having a successful tournament comes down to primarily what happens inside the paint on both ends of the floor. “I think the biggest thing that we always talk about is being solid on the defensive end and getting the first rebound,” he said. “We would like to think we have to get our big kid some touches inside.”